Of Men And Elves
by TalithaPotter
Summary: The wastelands already has enough on its plate, now it has to deal with a possible tear in their universe which let in more than it could handle. Luci was just a normal woman with womanly desires but was torn from her world and thrown into a world torn by war. Add Zevran.A to the mix, shake it up and lets have a party! Don't expect much from this.
1. An Untimely Event

**Chapter One**

Luci shouldered Ol' Painless, her .32 calibre hunting rifle bestowed upon her once she had pried it from its owners dead fingers and headed toward the great hole in the ground, a crater she had finally decided. There was no doubt in her mind as to what it could be, she remembered that bright shining light, the sound of a thousand thunderbolts clapping at once and she remembered the awful pit she had climbed out of when she was only fifteen and had been unfortunately sent kicking and screaming to this cruel and unforgiving world. It wasn't a far way off and she hoped that she managed to reach the poor sod before anyone else did.

At that thought she knelt down on one knee and pulled the laces of her boots tighter before she took off in a sprint toward the light that had now considerably dimmed slapping the shoulder of her companion, Fawkes as she went and he jumped up from the ground readying his minigun before he gave chase.

Despite the fact that he was an eight foot tall monster she had great affection for the man. He was what the waste landers liked to call a super mutant. Super mutants were basically goliaths amongst men and the majority were too stupid to be evil but they still tried. They were once men and women but were so riddled with radiation from the Great War that it had mutated them, evolved them somehow into the monsters that now roamed the wastelands. Fawkes however was not a casualty of the wastelands depending on how you look at it.

He had been born unto the wasteland a human and from what she understood he had been captured when he was just a boy by a rogue group of super mutants who thrived in science and relished the idea of creating their own super race and so Fawkes was the result of genetic mutation, he was the first of their 'super army' and their only success before Luci had shut down the operation and at Fawkes' request, burned the vault to the ground figuratively speaking of course.

* * *

They reached the crater within an hour occasionally stopping to sip painfully at the only pure water she had managed to find in almost a year. The wasteland was practically barren despite the fact that she and the lone wanderer had managed to de contaminate the water plant. Apparently these sorts of things took a worryingly long time to come into effect but after six years in the wastelands of North America she had finally adapted to the water and food and thankfully the medicine. If it wasn't for what they called RAD - away and RAD - X she was pretty sure she'd have been dust a long time ago. When they skidded to a halt at the crater they both withdrew their weapons not that Fawkes really needed one considering he could give one passing glance and stop the hearts of the strongest of men. Luci leaned over the edge of the hole buried deep into the ground and pulled her oxygen mask over her face to dispel any dust from getting into her lungs, asthma in the wastelands was a bitch to treat and the Doc back in Megaton refused to treat her if she wouldn't wear her mask.

"Hello?" She called out and received a fit of coughing in response.

Without another word she climbed down landing thankfully on her feet and not her arse into the crater keeping Ol' Painless smiling at the heap of limbs gasping for breath in the middle of the hole. As she stepped closer she was grateful to find it was in fact human and reached down patting the back of the person currently having what she liked to call a major freak out.

"Hang in there mate." She called over the fitful coughs and signalled with a wave of her gun for Fawkes to join her.

Suddenly there was a loud thud and the ground quite literally shook beneath them as Fawkes landing clearing the dust up into the air in what looked like a small mushroom cloud.

"Shall I carry?" Fawkes asked and Luci winced as the person she had been trying to help up dug their fingernails into her arm at the sound of his voice.

In all honesty she didn't blame them. His presence was unsettling at the best of times with a voice that sounded like the gates of hell itself jarring open and had she been rescued by him all those many years ago on that fateful night then she reckoned she would have reacted much the same.

"It's alright. Nothing to worry about just a friend." She said to the person as she managed to pull them up to their feet.

"I reckon you ought to." She added in Fawkes direction when what she now realised was a man stood to full height, about a foot taller than she.

She couldn't see much through the mask or dust but noticed the thick leather armour and almost laughed at the idea of herself trying to carry the man out of there.

"Don't worry; we'll have you out of here in no time." She said as she pulled a length of rope from around her waist, she had wrapped it round five times so thought it really ought to be long enough to carry them out of the crater and turned to Fawkes, who realising what she was about knelt down allowing her to straddle his back before he stood.

"A little higher!" She called down to him and he straightened his spine as much as its tortured structure would allow him to until she managed to scramble back out of the she was on her feet she located a rock nearby and looped the rope around it before she turned and threw it back into the hole that smoked eerily before her.

"Got it!" Called Fawkes and she smiled as she walked back to the edge of the crater and watched as the poor man battled the mutant with all the strength he had in him which surprisingly was a lot for someone who had just been hurtled into another universe. At least that's what she had assumed to the golden haired man that Fawkes had not a moment before put to sleep using the butt of his gun. Within minutes Fawkes emerged from the smoking pit and Luci backed up retrieving her rope before she caught up to where the mutant had laid the man down, far away from all the hazardous dust.

"What will we do with him?" Fawkes asked as he smoothed his hands down over the armour Luci had kindly gifted him that year.

"I think we ought to take him home." She said referring to her metal home in the junkyard they called Megaton.

He wasn't too sure about bringing the stranger to their home but trusted in her judgment and took solace in the fact that he and the sheriff would be able to keep her safe should anything go awry.

* * *

With their minds set they decided to put as much distance between themselves and the deserts of the wasteland. It wasn't safe anywhere in truth but they just so happened to be in the most dangerous part of the wasteland with little ammo and an unconscious man. So they packed up and the mutant slung the limp body of the rescuee over his shoulder and they began a half days journey back to Megaton in relative peace. The worst foe they faced that afternoon was luckily a RAD scorpion with a broken tail.

As they walked music played from the small radio Luci had brought for Fawkes and they hummed along happily especially when his favourite song about Spring Cleaning played. It was no mystery to Luci how a radio worked in a post-apocalyptic wasteland when she considered the fact that she was the one who had gone on a mission to retrieve the satellite required to get Galaxy News Radio back on air.

As she thought of Free Dog she gave a small smile that grew as she heard his voice on the radio. It seemed that it had been a long time since the nuclear war had begun and from comparisons to her own world Luci decided it had occurred in what she called the best era, the 40s. Since the war people had come out of their vaults and in some places civilisations were built that ran with electricity, something she was greatly thankful for. With a glance at the man hanging limply over Fawkes' shoulder she wondered where he could have come from. He was wearing pretty decent armour she thought but then it could be a costume. For a long time she hoped he had come from her world though she highly doubted it...

_(I own nothing, I just kinda borrowed from Bethesda and Bioware. Will be returning at a later date.)_

_I do apologise about any spacing issues, hope that's sorted out now. If not let me know. Used to reading on my phone where it isn't such an issue but thank you to mister/miss guest for letting me know! So what do you think guys? Is it worth continuing with or should I destroy the abomination and burn it to the ground? Reviews welcome but go easy on me, I'm a sensitive soul!  
_


	2. Another Suitcase in the Hall

When he awoke he wasn't exactly surprised to find he wasn't in his own bed, such was a common occurrence. What did surprise him were the squalid conditions he found himself in. The bed itself was clean and covered in deep maroon sheets and fluffy pillows but the frame was rusting and the walls, though covered in fairly decent wallpaper, were old looking, ancient even. There was a vanity table on the far side of the room with a broken mirror and the white paint that once coloured its surface had peeled almost completely away.

Silently he climbed out of the bed wincing as a fierce pain shot through his abdomen. Curious despite his discomfort he reached down holding onto his stomach and studied the objects on the table hoping to find who they belonged to. There wasn't anything particularly revealing; a brush and comb set, a pot of powder that looked untouched, some strange paintings that were so small you could barely see the people in them. Though most jarring was how real the women in them looked. He had never seen an artist so talented with a paint brush as this but it didn't awe him, no it frightened him somewhat. Put him on edge.

Suddenly there was a loud bang from the floor beneath and he turned in panic searching for somewhere to hide but the room offered no escape. The windows had bars on them, nowhere to go, and nowhere to hide. The loud bang was promptly followed by even louder catcalls and then a woman's laughter along with what he could only assume was a mans though it was so distorted he couldn't tell. Finding a small band on the vanity case he quickly pulled his hair back into a tight knot, it often frustrated him when he was in a state of distress.

"I'd better check on our patient!" He suddenly heard a woman call and footsteps sounded on the stairs so he dropped to the floor instantly and rolled beneath the bed pulling the duvet down somewhat so she wouldn't be able to see him. He had no armour, no weapons and no clue where he was and that was something that would very soon need to be remedied. With no little effort he managed to hook his hand and feet into the springs of the strange metal bed and heaved himself up against the cool surface, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Suddenly the door creaked open and a knock sounded at the door. When he gave no reply the woman snuck into the room and hesitated in the door way clearly wondering where her 'patient' had gotten to. He expected her to leave but she didn't. She walked into the room and took a seat on the stool at the vanity case facing away from it and toward the rest of the room.

"That must be terribly uncomfortable." She suddenly said and he hissed in surprise, his heart was pounding so fast he knew he couldn't keep it up and so slowly lowered himself to the ground. "Would you like some help?" She added in a kind voice but he didn't respond. He was too focused on how he was going to get out of that situation without any knowledge of what exactly the situation was.

With a heavy sigh he slowly slid out from under the bed and pushed himself up from the ground faltering only once, he didn't exactly want to prove himself any weaker than he already was. As he climbed onto the bed he was overcome by exhaustion and fell back against the pillow laying his arm over his forehead to shield out the light of the sun. His head pounded and sweat practically dripped off of him as he tried to catch his breath. No longer able to fight the overwhelming sense of weariness he gave into dreams and darkness.

Once he awoke he found the room was much darker, the curtains had been drawn across and there was a dim candle glowing ominously beside him. There was a cool cloth laid upon his forehead and suddenly as he flickered his eyes open a woman's face popped into his line of vision. He jumped in surprise banging his head on what appeared to be a shelf located just above the head board of the bed.

"Oh I'm sorry!" She cried and he smiled lopsidedly as he sunk back into the pillows.

"I am fine." He said dismissively with a wave of his hand and she smiled down at him while he studied her taking in every single detail. Her eyes were hazel he decided after a while and she clearly wasn't a woman accustomed to eye contact as she blushed and looked down to study the palms of her hands under his unwavering gaze. When she did he noticed the way her eyelashes fanned her now rosy cheeks, a small but nasty looking scar marred her right cheek and there was a cut atop a lump at her hairline though he didn't think her any less beautiful for it. She was, he decided, quite pretty with pale skin, a small mouth that was pale pink and a cute button nose. Her hair was long and fell in waves down to her waist with a red bandana folded and tied across her hair in a band to keep it out of her eyes. She wore a strange red jump suit and about her waist was a leather holster though he couldn't think what it could be for as it was empty.

"Shelves above a bed aren't probably the best idea." She said quietly as she looked up at them and he followed her gaze giving a short nod in agreement. She watched him quietly as his eyes wandered the room slowly seemingly taking everything in before she spoke again. "So despite the headache how are you feeling?" She asked with a small sympathetic smile and he winced as he threw the blankets down and rubbed at his abdomen.

"It is an irritant." He replied with a wave of his hand and she reached over pulling away the bandage finding much to her surprise that the bruising had gotten considerably better and were fading in record time. When she looked back up to his face she found him watching her with such intensity it made her heart stop. His golden brown eyes pinned her with his gaze, a strand of blonde hair fell over his shoulder and drew her attention unfortunately to his muscular body. She had always been a sucker for a strong man and quickly distracted herself by strolling to her vanity table and brushing through her hair.

"What is your name?" She asked as casually as she could muster while she pinned the curls back against her head letting them fall gracefully down her back.

"Hmm." He began fingering the bandages thoughtfully as he cocked a brow and let his eyes run over her. "If you do not know my name then we have not slept together..." He continued and she turned to him in surprise. "I make a fine point to inform all the lovers I take of my name, false or no." He finished at the look on her face and she blinked in confusion before she turned on the stool and rested her elbows on her knees.

"I found you, in a crater. I'm guessing you don't remember the journey you took to get here but I'll help you out." She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice though he could tell she wasn't actually irritated with him. "A long time ago, I was just a girl when a bright light beamed from the sky. I shouldn't have looked at it, I definitely shouldn't have gone to it." She said with a sigh and understanding, recognition suddenly dawned on the man's face but he allowed her to continue remaining silent as he watched her wring her hands. "Curiosity got the better of me and when I touched the light I was suddenly transported here. It is another world, much like our own but there was a war, a nuclear war over two hundred years ago. It destroyed this world leaving it a barren wasteland." She finished taking a deep breath. As she spoke of it aloud she felt a fool, there were only three others in all the world who knew of her past. It wasn't exactly something she liked sharing, the very thought of what had happened to her, what had happened to that world made her heart thump painfully in her chest.

"I know that this is hard for you, believe me, but you have the advantage of me. When I was dragged here there was no one. I walked the wastelands alone, frightened and helpless." She added all too suddenly and he gave another nod of understanding. As he looked over her he felt for the girl. He hadn't understood a lot of what she had said but he knew whatever mess this was, they were in it together.

"I am Zevran." He suddenly said and she smiled up at him in relief. He returned her smile however half-heartedly it didn't matter. She was happy, he understood, which meant they could move onto the more important things like surviving the trials of the wasteland.


	3. An Offer He Can't Refuse

**_Chapter 3_**

There wasn't a great many things in the world that could frighten her any more but leaving him alone in Megaton scared the life out of her. She remembered the look of pure horror on his face as he read the book on wasteland survival she had helped Moira create. The way his hands shook as he turned the pages and the sweat that so often broke out on his forehead.

It had been a long week since he was recovering and it wasn't exactly going to get any better. She still had to introduce him to Fawkes, the very thought of that meeting made the hairs on her neck stand up. It definitely wasn't going to go well.

She sighed aloud as she cleaned Ol' Painless and he looked up from the book watching her in silence, there was so much going through her mind but she hadn't ever burdened him with any of it and he often wondered why that was. Clearly it concerned him after all because he only noticed her sighing when she was in his presence. Clearing his throat he broke the silence and she looked up at him smiling somewhat when she saw he was ok, well as ok as he should be in his situation, and turned back to her gun running the cloth over it one last time.

"Did you…" He began but stopped narrowing his eyes as he ran his fingertips over the spine of the book nervously. She didn't speak, didn't motion for him to continue, simply waited patiently wondering silently what he wanted to ask and for this he was grateful, he needed a moment to brace himself before he continued.

Taking a deep breath he held the book up drawing her attention to it and she raised her brow waiting for him to continue with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Did you write this?" He finished eventually and this time the smile did reach her eyes though it was bitter and wry. For a while she didn't speak, she reached out and took the book gently from his hand and ran her hand over the cover studying it almost nostalgically.

"I didn't." She finally said and he raised a brow in surprise, this was not the answer he had expected especially from her response though he was relieved none the less. Whoever had written that book was not someone he wanted to be near.

"I was the subject." She added suddenly and he sighed closing his eyes for a moment as he allowed himself time to digest that piece of rather disappointing information.

He hadn't wanted to be frightened of her, he wasn't ashamed of such a feeling, and fear was a good thing. It kept him on his toes and meant he wouldn't ever let her get the best of him while he was still alive. The wasteland survival guide depicted tales of brutal battles, mutants, radiation poisoning which sounded horrific to him. Where he came from no such thing existed, there was simply poison. In her world radiation was a way of life.

"I'm sorry to disappoint." She said in a low voice, there was a hint of surprise to it though she hid it well but he could always pick up on such things. She was surprised at his disappointment, in a small way so was he but he knew why, she was a ferocious killer when she wanted to be which meant that one day he would likely have to kill her. And after all she had done for him.

"Don't be, I-" He began reaching out for the book and brushing his fingers against hers purposefully, reassuringly as she handed it back to him. "I am just tired." He finished with a smile and she gave a nod of understanding as she set the butt of her gun to the floor and brought one knee up into her chest resting her boot against the bedframe beside him. She still wore that red jumpsuit and he smiled at the familiarity of it as his eyes wandered the length of her thigh.

"I hate to keep you up but I don't have much time left. I have to leave tomorrow. Important business and all that." She said as she leaned back into the chair stretching somewhat with the barrel of her gun resting between her thighs.

As he watched her he remembered what she had taught him about guns only the day before and didn't really think it was such a good idea. Wincing he moved himself back onto the bed and rested his head against the window pane no matter how uncomfortable it was and shook his head bringing himself back to her statement. A sinking feeling took hold of his stomach and he masked his face as best he could with a disinterested look though he was sure she could smell the fear on him it was that potent.

"Is there somewhere else I could stay?" He asked and clenched his teeth at the way his voice broke but she didn't seem to notice or if she did she didn't say it. Her head snapped up and she looked at him with something he couldn't quite define, for a brief second she looked insulted then sad and then nothing. Her eyes wandered down to her fingernails and she studied them as she shrugged up at him before waving her hand behind him.

"You could stay at the common house, or the saloon though you haven't any caps." Ah, caps, he thought to himself how odd a system to have in place though there wasn't exactly anything normal about that place.

"What is the common house?" He asked after a while deciding he wasn't ever going to be able to work out that look on her face no matter how long he spent studying it.

"It's like a slum all on its own. Plenty of beds, plenty of poor and plenty of dirt." She replied as casually as she could. In truth the common house wasn't too bad anymore since she had given the sheriff enough money to give it an overhaul but she didn't want him to know that.

For a moment she wondered at why she wanted him to stay so much, it wasn't like he'd be much use to her, but he was just like her, alone… "Or… You know, you could just stay here. Hobson will be here, he can look after you." She added in a quiet voice and he leaned forward in surprise narrowing his eyes as he studied her.

This, he had not expected. He thought of what her game was but nothing came to mind, there was no possible reason that he could conceive for her to want him to stay in her bed, eat her food and drink her water but she did. And he gratefully accepted her offer of course. He wasn't an idiot despite appearances.


End file.
